Don't Let Me Disappear
by YZYdragon2222
Summary: Is it wrong to want a friend to disappear? Can you stop a friend from disappearing when he already has? Naruto blamed the television for bringing him these troublesome questions. No one, not even the Hokage, was supposed to hear life-changing news like this over the TV. But at least Naruto still had a life to change. Some people didn't.
_Author's Note: Ha! I have successfully lured you into yet another one of my traps—an intriguing and enigmatic story which will leave you the insatiable pleasure and desire for more chapters! You shall pay for my generosity in blood or reviews!_

 _In other words, YZY's written a new story and hopes you will enjoy and review._

 _…_

 _Anyways! I'm excited about this story because I feel like it's got potential. Its conflicts are much more internal than my other two stories', so it will not be as long as them. Note that "Identity of Love and Sand" will be my primary focus, while this and "Return of the Jinchuuriki" will be updated sporadically._

 _However, trust me that I WILL NOT ABANDON MY STORIES. Timeliness need be your only concern._

 _Helpful reading tip: the year Naruto was born is 0 YNT (Year of the Nine-Tails). The years after that are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4…. ANT (After the Nine-Tails)._

 **Chapter 1**

They'd come a long way from where they'd begun.

They'd been born with their bodies and fates sealed, their lives' paths planned and their destinations grim. It was not a road to victory, or happiness.

But birth was just one circumstance among the thousands in a lifetime. They walked their road and people crossed it. They walked their road and then they met. They walked their road and then they changed it.

The path they'd made for themselves was not an easy path, no, not at all. They poured their blood and sweat into forging a new road—but perhaps it had been worth it, for in the path ahead they could see a little bit of light.

Not to say that light and happiness was all that there had been after that: there were segments drenched in shadows, in darkness, in uncertainty, in sorrow and sadness.

Sometimes, there was more pain on their new paths than on their old—but it was worth it, even for that those few, precious seconds of warm light, that crack of dawn, even it was only the first rays over the horizon.

But whatever it was in their poor power to change the paths of their lives did not guarantee the destination—for a single road, easy or difficult, has a million destinations, and millions of roads, easy and difficult, share the same one. And the human eye can never see as far as the end until they are there.

Because even after everything—all the grief endured, bonds forged, paths crossed, lives lost—

 _Some things never change._

Even after all this time, Naruto had never changed. Oh yes, he'd gone from genin to Hokage, weak to powerful, hated to loved, adored…

But just as Sasuke would never be jubilant, Sakura would never be meek, Hinata would never be exuberant, Shikamaru would never be (willingly) hardworking, and Gaara would never be…well, anything but _Gaara_ …Naruto would never be tamed. If he was going to be Hokage, then he was going to be a loudmouthed, knuckleheaded, unpredictable Hokage. And unpredictable, a loudmouth, and unpredictable the Seventh was.

And wasted. The Seventh Hokage was wasted.

In the recesses of his mind not clouded by alcohol, Naruto commended himself for not being like Granny Tsunade and getting drunk in her own workplace—the Hokage Tower, for crying out loud. At least Naruto Uzumaki was getting wasted _properly_ —at a party in his own house, surrounded by his friends.

Konoha 12, their spouses, their senseis, Granny Tsunade herself (who wouldn't miss the opportunity of free sake), and their children (who were the only ones not wasted), had piled into the Hokage's home for a rowdy party. It was evening, and the television was on in the background but largely ignored in favor of tangible company. The adults were in the kitchen poring over the alcohol without which their conversations about sex would have been a lot more awkward. The children were left in the living room, playing, doing god-knows-what, and hopefully, not vandalizing the inside of Naruto's home.

The television played by itself.

Naruto looked blearily about at his family and friends. Only an era of peace and prosperity allowed shinobi like them to let loose like this and be happy. Naruto wasn't sure whether to credit the sake for the warmth that filled his chest, or the realization that he, too, was almost completely happy.

In retrospect, he really should have been less than almost completely happy. Anything he did or felt now would not be able to change the pain of the later downfall… but guilt was another matter.

Chouji had finished all the food on the table and was about to go on and eat the table itself. Karui was blatantly ignoring her binge-eating husband and chatting with Hinata and Hanabi, though the former looked just a tad uncomfortable with the dark-skinned woman's openness and enthusiasm, which involved a lot of back slapping. Sakura was arguing with a buzzed Ino, who was comparing her breast size with the pink-haired woman. "Just admit it, Ugly, Gorgeous's boobs are obviously bigger than yours. Besides, I measured them…" Naruto probably would have laughed at Sakura's predicament were it not for the fact that he himself was often at the receiving end of Sai's abuse. Mirai was still young, but old enough to be part of the adults, and therefore was tasting the various types of sake with her mother Kurenai. Tsunade was staggering about, trying to find a poker buddy. As long as she didn't approach the kids, Naruto would let Granny be. Kiba was making out with Tamaki, and Shino was standing in a corner, watching them, probably sulking about being ignored. Lee had been barred from drinking, and hadn't Naruto known him, would have doubted that Bushy Brows hadn't in fact had a fair amount of buzz. The man was running about in random circles, zipping past the other party guests and trying (unsuccessfully) to convince them to train along with him. His wife Tenten was chucking (relatively) safe weapons at him. Gai-sensei was talking animatedly to a bored-looking Kakashi. The fact that the masked man's nose was buried in an orange book did not seem to deter the wheelchair-bound Gai.

Naruto sighed in content at the sight of everyone having a prime time. He really wanted to hassle someone though, but everyone looked occupied, except for—

Of course! The Nara couple!

Grinning wolfishly, Naruto strutted over to where Shikamaru and Temari were sitting side by side but facing away from each other each with a bottle of sake in their hands. To an outsider, it would have looked like they were trying to ignore each other, but Naruto knew better. They were just being Shikamaru and Temari, who sometimes believed displays of affection were a sin. Odd, because the Sand _Siblings_ , of all people, seemed to care the least about committing sin. At one point in the past, at least.

"Hey there, my favorite moody couple in the world, whatcha—"

 _SLAM_

Naruto jumped, and Shikamaru visibly flinched (though he did not turn around) when Temari slammed her sake bottle down onto the table so hard that it cracked along the bottom—luckily, it was already nearly empty, so did not cause a flood. Temari was clearly under the influence, but Shikamaru knew that her half-drunken state was only enhancing the negative feelings she'd harbored since this morning.

A few heads turned when they heard the sake bottle's loud cracking sound, but they resumed their activities when they realized it had been Temari, who was already well known for her volatility.

Temari's raised her teal eyes which were darkened by several lethal shades and daringly glared at the Hokage through her long lashes.

Be they friends or not, there was a clear difference between a man who was intelligent and one who was not. Temari was one UNHAPPY camper, and Shikamaru was an intelligent man. He was only half-sure about the reason for his wife's ire, and he was fairly sure that this time round, he was not the reason for its causing—yet Shikamaru was already on edge from the troublesome woman's mood. He followed her lead and ensured silent support, making sure not to make any unnecessary movement, but ready to take action should it become necessary.

Temari was one unhappy camper. And Naruto was not an intelligent man.

He blinked owlishly, once or twice, at the feral gleam in the Suna kunoichi's eyes, before grinning once again and deciding (stupidly) to play with fire. Besides, Temari of the Sand couldn't hit _that_ hard, right? Well, not as hard as Sakura…

He plopped himself down next to the blonde woman and slung his arm around her jovially. Temari's entire body stiffened. This time, Shikamaru did turn—ever so slightly—to proctor the upcoming altercation.

"Hello there, my beautiful desert flower!" Naruto whooped. "'Sup? Having a _bad_ day? Feeling a bit _thirsty_? Heh, heh, heh…"

"Oh yes, I most certainly am," Temari growled through gritted teeth, voice coarse and low. Shikamaru tensed. It was bad when Temari was mad and _not_ screaming like a banshee. "And I'm sure you can figure out why, can't you, oh great Lord Hokage of Konoha?"

Naruto blinked a few times and rummaged through his (empty) head. He looked around. Everyone was laughing, having fun, drinking sake…Huh. He looked at Shikamaru who was also glaring at him, but not as lethally as Temari.

He was being honest when he shrugged. "Dunno." Then he squinted at Temari and smiled mischievously. "Maybe 'cuz you and Shika are just sittin' around like damn spoilsports. Come on, get up and have some fun, you old hags! I know, I know! You guys should totally dance together, believe it! C'mon, I can teach you the _tango-_ "

"Your concern is touching, _Naruto_ , but I already have a fair share of dance moves in my arsenal and there's already one in particular I'm set upon using."

"Really? Can you show us?"

"Sure, but only if you agree to be my dance partner."

"…?! Listen, I think when you try tocheat on your husband you're supposed to do it _behind_ his back."

"Oh, I'm not cheating on him, trust me. It's just that the nature of my dance requires a _special_ type of partner, and he's not it."

"What? What is it?"

"The Quick Beheading Dance," Temari replied coolly, before calmly turning to her husband and plucking his sake right out of his hands and dunking some down her own throat.

"Geez, what's got you, Temari?" Naruto finally seemed to sense some true danger and started to inch away from the dangerous kunoichi. "You've got no reason to be like this—"

That seemed to trigger her, and quicker than he could blink, a strong arm had grabbed his collar and pulled him forward. Naruto stopped inches short of teal eyes that looked ready to eat him alive. "How selfish can you be? _How selfish can you be_ , you stupid dick?"

Naruto would have gaped, but the stench of alcohol in his mouth was too strong and his face too close to Temari's for him to do that. Shikamaru's eyes had widened marginally and he put a tentative hand of comfort (and restraint) around his wife's waist.

"A favor. A small, fucking favor that would have cost you one more week of waiting for your pleasure party. And all I asked you to do was try to make one of your friends happy, YOU GODDAMN SHIT!"

 _Oh no._ That's _what she's upset about_ , Shikamaru thought. His grip around his wife's waist tightened and he too turned on Naruto. He'd forgotten about what Naruto hadone, but now that he remembered, he too was pretty upset.

"T-Temari!" Naruto stuttered. He'd never seen the woman like this before. "What the hell did I do?"

"I asked you. EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE PAST MONTH. To wait to do your party NEXT. WEEK. JUST ONE WEEK. AND DID YOU FUCKING LISTEN?"

"Temari!" Naruto cried. "It's my own party, can't I plan it when I want to? Besides, what's the big deal? I wanted everyone to be here, and Sasuke-bastard was supposed to be home by now—"

"Uchiha?! After all this and you think this is about the UCHIHA?"

The mention of the Uchiha name turned more heads, and Temari's raised voice kept them there. What the hell was going on between the Hokage and Shikamaru's wife? Sarada Uchiha looked over at the adults' scuffle and wondered why her father's name was spoken with such venom by the Suna kunoichi.

Naruto stared blankly at Temari for a moment. "Well yeah!" he said. "I thought Sasuke would be home by now and I didn't expect his mission to be delayed. I made the party today 'cuz I thought he could make it. 'S too bad really, we don't ever get to see him enough—"

"Don't see him ENOUGH!?"

"But at least everyone else could make it!" Naruto finished with a yell. He didn't want to scream at Temari, but Temari was screaming at him and it was seriously freaking him out.

Temari stilled for a full moment before she suddenly stood up. Her fist was still curled around Naruto's collar as she dragged him up, causing him to stumble. Before he had the chance to react, however, the blonde woman had harshly fisted a handful of his yellow hair and was forcing him to look around the room. By this time, everyone was watching the morbid affair between the Suna and Konoha shinobi with interest and fear. "Who don't you see here who you don't. See. ENOUGH?!"

"Temari, you're scaring me!" Naruto yelped in half-pain, half-panic. "Shikamaru, get your woman off me!"

"You had it coming, Naruto," Shikamaru hissed, surprising everyone.

"I don't know what the hell you want, Temari!" Naruto screamed. Temari's hold on his hair tightened. "I already said Sasuke-bastard couldn't be here and I don't know who else I could have invited, seriously, and what's so special about next week? I don't see the difference—"

The entire room had fallen silent. Abruptly, Temari's hold on Naruto's head let go entirely. The blonde man immediately brought his hands up to his fragile scalp to clutch it gently. Without so much as another word or glance, Temari turned sharply on her heel and stalked meaningfully towards the door.

"W-where are y-you going, Temari?" Hinata asked timidly, doing what everyone else dared not do.

Temari threw the poor Hyuuga girl a look of shocking animosity. "I'm going _home_. I'm going back to Suna. My brother needs me."

Naruto gaped after her, and for once, everyone else in the room mirrored his expression—except for Shikamaru and Shikadai. The Nara couple's son stood up meaningfully and walked away from his friends, who were eyeing him, his parents, and the Hokage with fascination and horror. The boy joined his mother at her side and gripped her hand in silent comfort. Teal eyes met teal in a wordless moment.

Naruto quickly turned on Shikamaru, whose eyes were closed with a deep scowl between them. "Shikamaru…?"

Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at Naruto more coldly than the Hokage could ever remember. "Gaara's coming to Konoha next week, Naruto. Temari was hoping this could be his surprise party."

"Gaara? He's coming?" Naruto'd forgotten about that. "And a surprise party? For what…?

Shikadai looked up in concern as a wave of rage once again washed through his mother's body. Shikamaru turned to look at his wife and son and replied Naruto, without looking at him, "Gaara's birthday. We convinced Gaara to come to Konoha for his birthday because we wanted him to celebrate it with his friends."

Naruto's eyes widened. He felt a pang of guilt and genuinely felt bad forgetting about the Kazekage's birthday. He knew that the Kazekage wouldn't mind, but if he had remembered…how happy Gaara would be.

And Gaara's _family_ , evidently, _did_ mind.

The television continued playing eerily in the background, blinking with colors too happy for the situation. It was now the only sound that could be heard, but it was still largely ignored.

With one last dirty look at Naruto, Shikamaru started to walk away towards his wife and son.

In an attempt to salvage his mistake, Naruto made his biggest mistake of all. "But…it's not like Gaara would have cared, would he? Gaara hates loud sounds and crowds anyway! He would probably want to be alone…on his birthday."

Naruto finished awkwardly, realizing with impeding horror the huge blow he'd just dealt to his absent friend and his family. _Did I just say Gaara would rather be ALONE? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!..._

Temari was shaking and Naruto watched with grief as young Shikadai looked at him with an expression in his almond teal eyes that said he'd lost all prior respect he'd ever had for the Seventh Hokage.

"Temari, I-I—"

"All right," Temari said with no trace of emotion in her voice. "If that's how Gaara's only friend thinks he should spend his birthday then that's how he'll spend his birthday. _Alone_. We're just family and we can't do shit about it."

"T-Temari, please! Please, I wasn't thinking, it was a mistake, I didn't mean—"

"It's all right, Lord Hokage." Temari turned and smiled at Naruto, but for the first time in Naruto's life he saw tears holding themselves back in the shimmering teal of Gaara's sister's eyes. "You don't need to think about friendships. It's something that just is. I'm happy for you and the Uchiha. You've already shown how you feel and there's nothing we should do about it."

Before Temari could proceed to the door, there was suddenly knocking coming from the outside of it. A sustained note of woe seemed to play from outside of it and the occupants of the Hokage's house realized that it must have come from a person.

Still too shocked to move, no one approached the door to let the newcomers in. They were shaken out of their stupor, however, when a muffled male voice sounded through the wood.

"Excuse…me…" There was a hiccup. Whoever was speaking was crying. "W-we were told that..Lady" _sniff_ "Temari…was at—was at the Hokage's" _sniff_ "house. C-could you please" _sniff_ "open the door and l-let us in?"

The Konoha shinobi looked at each other in perplexity, but Temari immediately recognized the voice of the family friend. She strode to the door and opened it as if she was in her own house. Yaoki and Korobi were standing there, sobbing and looking like absolute wrecks.

"Yaoki! Korobi—what are you doing here?" Temari asked sternly. She then took notice of about ten other Suna shinobi standing behind him, including the head Elder of Suna, Ebizo. The man was (very) old and experienced, and had lived through pain, grief, and loss—including that of his older sister—but he always looked sage and wise. Now, however, shadows clouded the elderly man's face, which was pointed toward the floor.

"Lord Ebizo!" Temari greeted, bowing deeply. Ebizo did not even seem to notice her. Temari frowned as she bowed. This was weird. As she was coming up, however, she suddenly realized that her eyes were level with something in Yaoki's hands. Something familiar.

"Wh-wh-what is that?" she asked, knowing perfectly well what it was. Shikadai, who was still clinging to his mother's hand and watching the group of Suna shinobi apprehensively, knew perfectly well what it was. Shikamaru, who was standing a few feet behind them, knew perfectly well what it was. And they were intelligent people too. But they didn't believe what it was.

Yaoki was shaking too hard, so Korobi answered for him, although the latter man was not much better off. "The…K-k-k-k-Kazekage h-hat…"

Temari's teal eyes stared blankly at Yaoki and Korobi for the longest time. Then she snapped. "WHAT! HAPPENED!" she screamed, shaking the two of them by the shoulders violently.

But the two friends simply closed their eyes and shook their heads. Suddenly, like a puppet with its strung cut, Yaoki fell to the floor and wailed, accidentally dropping the Kazekage hat in the process. Temari snatched it up—hell if she was going to let her baby brother's hat get soiled by the ground in Naruto's house!

"What happened," Temari breathed, voice scarcely louder than a whisper.

It was like the Suna shinobi had lost their ability to speak. None of them dared look at Temari in the eyes.

It was Ebizo who, still without looking up, lifted a frail, bony finger, and pointed at the television.

And suddenly everyone was watching it.

"Good evening, folks, welcome to _Shinobi World,_ your number one station for world news. This is Narui reporting live from Sunagakure," the news anchor reported. "A grave tragedy has befallen the Konoha's closest ally. Will Sunagakure be able to back up on its feet? Let's take a look at how they're coping."

The camera shifted to a view of the Kazekage Tower from the sky. The entire was city was dark—not a single light was illuminated. What looked like the entire population of Sunagakure was gathered around the Tower, and in the darkness of the desert city, they looked like wandering souls, ghosts.

The camera shifted again to focus on the commotion in the crowd. People of every kind were among it—young, old, shinobi, civilian, male, female—and they all clung to each other for hope, for support, for life, for comfort. Naruto watched his television and noted that he had never seen such sadness.

Commotion broke out among the occupants of Naruto's own home, questions and exclamations rapidly being fired back and forth. Suna citizens were not known for melodrama, yet look at them now! Amidst the noise, they missed what the reporter had said happened.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Temari screamed. "What did they say? What did they say?"

"Let's just keep listening," Shikamaru answered.

The camera continued to pan in on various citizens of Suna, most of whom were grieving. Narui, the reporter, was shown interviewing a random kunoichi. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but tears no longer fell from her eyes. Instead, she simply stared eerily ahead. "How do you feel about the turn of events?" Narui asked.

At first, it seemed like the woman was not going to answer. However, after several prolonged moments of silence, she whispered in the microphone… "The Sand will live forever, but it used to be so _warm_ …we're nothing but a shell now. A cold shell, empty sand…" She touched her forehead protector with her fingers. "The world will never see Sunagakure again."

The camera changed, and the face of a familiar woman came into focus. "That's Yukata!" Temari screeched. Yukata's friends could be seen in the background.

"How do you feel about this tragedy?" Narui questioned.

Yukata simply stared at Narui for the longest time, before she suddenly collapsed and started flailing about in the sand. Her friends rushed forward and tried to pull her face away from the ground—at this rate, she was going to smother herself in the sand. "Nooooo," she wailed. "NOOOOO…"

"The state of affairs in Sunagakure is in chaos. The response of both shinobi and civilians is utter devastation. The future seems bleak for the desert hidden village, but perhaps they will pull through with the support of their allies. The Kage and various shinobi of the Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have all responded by sending their shinobi to aid Sunagakure, and many civilians from all over the world are making the pilgrimage to pay their respects. From Iwa:"

Kurotsuchi, the Tsuchikage, was suddenly on screen. The snarky, cocky woman was looking utterly distressed. "I'm going down to Suna myself as soon as I possibly can," the woman said. "I just…I just can't believe it. I still remember…" she trailed off. "Gramps—the Third Tsuchikage, if you will—took it hard. His blood pressure rose dangerously and he had to be taken to the hospital. Fortunately, Gramps is stable now, but as for Suna…" She suddenly looked seriously straight into the camera. "You know what? That man-he was better than all of us. All of us."

"In Kiri:" Narui said:

Lines of grief lined Mei Terumi's, the Fifth Mizukage's, face: "What a man," she muttered. "The best kind of man, really. So young," she sighed. "I was looking forward to seeing who he'd marry, and I'd personally tell the lucky girl just how jealous I was of her…it wasn't wasted, though. He was married to his people and his world, and we were the ones who forgot how lucky we were." The beautiful woman wiped a tear from her eye. "The world is just unfair, that's what it is."

"In Kumo:" Narui reported:

Killer B's goofy face was serious this once. "No, I didn't know the kid that well," B said. "But we're Jinchuuriki, and Jinchuuriki are mates, pal, no matter what. Imma go to Sunagakure myself 'cuz Jinchuuriki need Jinchuuriki, no matter what or when." B's face darkened. "But I'm warnin' ya, whoever did this, Shukaku's gonna be MAD. You've tempted the sand, lad! Right atcha!"

The camera returned to Narui. "Interestingly, the news has been unable to reach Suna's closest ally, Konohagakure. Missives from Suna have travelled to the Leaf bearing the news, but the Konoha ANBU and guards said that under no condition was the Hokage to be bothered today. He is apparently in the middle of an important altercation and cannot have his plans ruined."

All eyes turned to look at Naruto, who flushed guiltily. How would the world respond when they found out that important event for which the Hokage could not be bothered was a party?

"The crime scene of the incident is currently closed to all outsiders," Narui continued. "Details of the fight that took place have not yet been released. It took place about a mile away from the village. The search and investigation party is just now returning. Take a look."

It was a procession, and in it were several familiar faces—Matsuri, Baki, Kankuro. They walked sullenly towards and into the Kazekage Tower, ignoring the crowd around them. Their bodies loyally and protectively surrounded the white bundle they were carrying.

The crowd suddenly turned wild, and the sobs turned to screams. The tragic procession proceeded, disappearing from view into the Kazekage Tower.

When the camera re-panned, it was atop the Kazekage Tower balcony. A hooded puppeteer was sitting on the ground, the purple paint on his face slightly smeared. Baki was standing near him and looking down at the broken man whilst looking broken himself. Several ANBU surrounded them.

In Konoha, Temari breathed, "Kankuro…"

The men on screen were mostly silent and motionless, until Kankuro suddenly reached into his black robes and pulled out a flask. He stared at it for the longest time until he opened it unannounced, a deranged look entering his eyes.

Baki suddenly sprang to life. "KANKURO, NO!" the sensei yelled, slapping the vial of fatal poison from Kankuro's hands whilst the ANBU quickly gathered in on Kankuro to restrain him.

"Kankuro!" Temari screamed, back in Konoha. "You people…don't touch him!"

Kankujro clawed wildly for his flask of poison. "Give that back!" he growled, thrashing wildly like a feral animal. "IT'S MINE, IT'S MINE!" Even with dozens of ANBU closing in on him, Kankuro was still managing to flail and struggle. "Give that back. Give him back. Give him back."

Those outside the Kazekage Tower, and who had seen what had just gone on on the balcony, turned as wild as Kankuro, and soon the whole crowd was thrashing, kicking, screaming in the multitudes.

" _SILENCE!_ " a voice boomed over the entire city. Startled, the chaos subsided, and heads turned to look at the shadow of their Kazekage speaking down to them from the Kazekage Tower.

Matsuri, the one and only protégé of Sabaku no Gaara. She looked and sounded nothing like her sensei, but in this moment, she suddenly became him, the strong shinobi who stirred the crowds from atop Sunagakure's most venerable building.

"Have you forgotten who you are? Have you forgotten what we've done?" Matsuri asked. "We're Sunagakure, the people of the desert that Lord Gaara loves and trusts! What is this display of weakness? Have you given up on him already?"

The hushed crowd suddenly picked up in fervor, yelling, "NO! NO!" at Matsuri.

"Isn't that right?" Matsuri continued. "Will you be the people who let down the one person who did everything for you? Or will you let the sand and spirit never die? Which are you!"

"WE'LL NEVER LET HIM DIE!"

"We need to find out who did this. Do you think the culprit will find himself? Do you think he should go unpunished for his crimes? NO! We're the ones who have to do it! Justice is our hands. Lord Gaara is in our hands."

The crowd screamed their assent.

Matsuri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "My fellow shinobi, close your eyes and remember. Remember my sensei. Remember your Kazekage. Remember your Jinchuuriki! Remember the man who was a brother and an uncle and a friend. Remember the man who loved you more than he loved himself. Remember the man who lived for you and died for you! Promise that we'll never forget."

"WE'LL NEVER FORGET," the crowd agreed, and closed its eyes also. Heads turned up towards heaven and the stars.

In a mere whisper, Matsuri breathed, "We love you too, Gaara-sensei."

The scene was too profound for Narui to give any more words in closing. Instead, words appeared on the screen instead.

 _Please observe a minute of silence in memory of_

 _Sabaku no Gaara_

0 YNT—16 ANT, 16—35 ANT

Crimson appeared on the screen, and even from the photograph on the television, Gaara's wise, aquamarine eyes looked into the souls of his family, his people.

His friends.

He was smiling.

His obsidian-framed eyes would be lined with sleeplessness no more.

The television screen blackened, and suddenly, infomercials were playing on it again.

Naruto stared. And stared. And stared.

A minute passed, then two, then more. The whole room was silent in the memory of Sabaku no Gaara.

"No," Naruto croaked. He wanted to scream, cry, throw a tantrum, but all he could do was stare ahead. He lifted his hand and clutched his heart, suddenly feeling more intense a pain there than he had ever felt. He wanted to beg Kurama to heal him. Yet he wanted to feel this pain forever. Remember it. "My friend…" he whispered in a childlike voice.

Hinata cautiously approached Naruto, tears streaming out of her eyes. But Naruto didn't notice her and suddenly walked forward towards the family who needed help.

Shikamaru was still gaping at the television screen, knocked dumb for once in his life. Shikadai was clinging harder than ever to his mother's hand, and his sobs and whimpers were the only sound that permeated the room. Inojin and Chouchou had joined him and were trying to comfort him, to no avail.

Temari's expression had not changed. It was completely blank, and she simply stood there, a shell of herself looking blankly into the space in front of her. Her brother needed her, she'd said. Perhaps she had already joined him.

Before Naruto could reach Temari, Yaoki and Korobi had beat him to it. Matsuri's speech seemed to have lessened their crying a little bit. They knelt before Temari and Yaoki held up the white-and-blue hat over his head. "As per…Lord Gaara's d-d-dying wish…his sister Temari will succeed his title as Kazekage," Korobi said.

"Wh-what?" Inquiries of disbelief were thrown around the room. _Kazekage TEMARI?_

Temari continued to look expressionlessly at Yaoki and Korobi before gently taking the hat from their hands. She didn't put it on, but instead cradled it in her hands. "Gaa-ra," she whispered, looking down at it. She sounded like she was crooning to a small child. "Gaa-ra. Your big sister loves you, you know that? I'm sorry I was so horrible. I was the worst big sister in the world," she whispered.

By this time, Shikamaru was already crying profusely. He walked to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. The silent sobs that coursed through the Nara's body shook Temari's as well, but Temari herself was completely still. She was simply looking down at the Kazekage hat, but the look in her eyes told that she was seeing something more.

"You're so little, Gaa-ra . So fragile, just like when you were born. You were a cute little baby. I was never allowed to touch you though. Will you let me hold you?"

It was too much. Everyone in the room—even Sai and Shino—had tears running down their cheeks. Everyone except Temari.

"Your big sister wants to love you, Gaa-ra. Your big sister wants to protect you. Your big sister wants to cry for you." In a barely audible voice, Temari continued, "but she can't. Your big sister…wants you to forgive her.

"Will you forgive me...Gaara?"

Several people were already wailing at the sad scene. Temari closed her eyes and slowly, slowly placed the Kazekage hat atop her own head. No tears fell.

The wise old man Ebizo finally stepped forward. Shikamaru realized this and stepped away. The Elder placed a frail hand on Temari's shoulder. "You know the answer to that question, Lady Kazekage," he said, using Temari's new title for the first time. "And you know it happened a long time ago."

Ebizo looked up and addressed the weeping members in the room. He looked at Shikadai when he said, "Gaara's mother always loved him. He is with Karura now."

Naruto listened to this, and realized that Ebizo was right. And then, he realized just how selfish Naruto Uzumaki really was.

He didn't want Gaara to be with Karura, the woman who loved him unconditionally, even after death. The woman whose sand would never "forget" to spring up to protect him, unlike the way Naruto had forgotten about Gaara and his birthday.

Gaara's birthday. He was one week short of his 35th birthday and a lifetime.

No. Naruto wanted Gaara to be with _him_ , not Karura. He wanted the man to come to Konoha next week and they would celebrate the Kazekage's birthday together. He would make Gaara happy. He would make Gaara smile. He would be Gaara's friend.

He would have smiled at the happy prospect were it not too late to do any of those things.


End file.
